The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-08-23
A TRIP ACROSS HAWAII.

~ butI nOHSSO HftUptt
On Thursday, the 18th instant, at
II o'clock A. NJ. two friends of us
started for trip from Ililo to Kau
and return. The fact that we had
other business on hand did not
hinder us from seeing sights and
getting pleasure out of our trip.
And while it is hardly the thing to
flaunt our business travels in the
face of the public, it is always con-
sidered proper to give an account
of pleasure trip. On the strength
of the amount of pleasure which we
got out of our journey, then, / am
justified in writing an account of it.
Travelling over variety of roads
and through woods which themselves
are sight worth strangers trouble
to see-where bananas grow uniform
by the wind and where the "birds-
nest" ferns reach their highest per-
fectIon-at the end of two hours
ride, we found ourselves at the
Ramie Plantation. 1t seemed not q
little wonderful TO us that the steam
engine and boiler for The cleaning
machinery were taken out from Hilo
on the same road which we had
taken. The cleaning process was
not going on, but the vigorous crop
growing by the road side was eri-
dence that the ramie industry will
not fail here for want of suitable
soil and climate. Leaving the
Ramie Plantation we passed over
rocky road, in fact, an old lava
flow, most of the way to Olaa or the
"Halfway House." Here there are
evidences of a prosperous little
community. In the open ground
are evidences that hogs thrive here,
while glance into the woods gives
evidence of successful fruit growing.
For some time before we reached
Olaa the "ohelos" were TO be found
by the road side, but now they be-
came more plentiful. What q pity
it is that such places are not con-
nected with the more pOpulous cen
tiers with good roads, After leaving
Olaa we went over hard lava road
for eight or nine miles when the
road led into dense forest. Ferns
reached across forming an arch high
over our heads as we rode on horse
back. just inside of this forest is
the seven mile post-seven miles
from the Volcano House. This last
seven miles is over varied kind of
road. Part of the way is over lava
rock, part through koa groves, and
the last mile on the Keauhou turn
pike. At $3.50 O'Clock the Volcano
House was reached.
The next morning we started on
our journey, leaving the descent
into the crater till our return.
Reaching the high point on the
brink of the crater, however, the
everlasting fires came into view.
Jets of lava could be seen spouting
up to considerable height. Pass
ing on over the 'sandy desert" a
new operation in the process of
world making presented itself to our
view. How abundant rain and
simple cryptogamous vegetation
make soil out of lava, can be seen
at and near Hilo. But to learn how
wind and sun, with very little rain,
performs the same work, one must
pass over some such place as that
south and southwest of Kilauea.
Going on over fields of "pahoehoe"
and one flow of "aa" we soon
reached the grazing lands of Kappa
pala Ranch. Ten O'Clock brought
us to the Halfway House. "Half-
way to WHAT" is question still
unanswered. Eleven found us at
headquarters of Kapapala Ranch,
and half past twelve at Pahala.
Taking lunch here, it was half past
two when we arrived at Punaluu,
where half an hour spent in host
Lees bath-house gave vigor for the
remainder of the journey to Waio-
hinu. At Honuapo real road was
found. After passing over the neg
lected strips of unoccupied land,
which by courtesy are called roads,
about Pahala and all that part of
Kau, real road seemed like an old
friend. The little town of Waio-
hinu, nesting in its beautiful green
cove was reached at six o'clock.
Business over and the trip re-
versed we found ourselves at the
Volcano House again Monday after
noon. Some of the "Dana party"
were ready to start down into the
crater, and we joined them. Two
lakes are already formed, but the
smoke interfered with good view
of the more southerly one. We sat
on the bluff and looked down into